When training gets hard

The foresight of climbing Denali and the other 5 summits is really good. But, while not all of them are that hard, they still require excellent physical condition. And this means training, day in day out, to get in great shape! But, there are times when training gets hard, real hard … mentally.

Currently, I’m on a schedule of 6 workouts per week. You can read all about my current schedule here. But since I have a full time job, this means most of my workouts need to be done in the evening. So, coming home from work, have a quick dinner and continue to training. Busy, but still no problem, as long as the workout is fun!

Following this schedule day in day out does get a little boring after a while. So what do I do to keep enjoying the daily “suffer-session”?

Do what you do best…

… and do that often! I grew up with bike racing, and still love to ride my bike. So
I ride it as much as possible. And right now, that’s not too often! Why? Well… because currently it’s January; dark grey and wet. Riding my bike in the evening is too dangerous, both for me and the traffic around me. So at the moment, I stick to cycling once a week, during the weekends. I love it, and it keeps my endurance at an acceptable level.

Change the sessions

Currently I go to the gym at least two times a week. My workouts contain mostly core stability exercises. There are a 1000 ways to do those, so I make sure I vary as much as possible. The exact same exercises every day just aren’t that much fun. I change the order of exercises every time and focus in the exercises I love most In short: I do anything that breaks my current routine!

Train with a group

I do believe training alone is very efficient. This way I can easily decide upon the intensity of my training and start whenever and where ever I want. It also give me time to think. To think about my goal(s) and ‘easier stuff’ like ‘what to do next’. For me that’s part of training mentally.

But, I know training with a group can push you just a little further and is a great opportunity share experiences, socialize etc. So that’s why I decided to join a 2 month training program of a Be Your Best-Program in January 2017 at Buiten Gewoon Fit. A nice combination between group training and individual training.

Just suffer

I won’t deny, sometimes it’s just no fun. Aiming goals also involves ‘just training’, repetition. And start even when your body or mind are just not that into it… It also involves ways of training that are not that much fun to you. For me, for example, that’s running. I run about 2 times a week. And, despite people keep telling me running is getting better after 7 months, I still don’t like it. I guess running is just not for me. So, I focus on the nice parts of running to me: it’s a great moment enjoy being outside and listen to great music while running.

Allow yourself to rest

It’s really no problem to skip a training every once and a while. You’re is not a machine. Sometimes you need to be able to step back and enjoy an evening of TV. This breaks the daily routine, and lets your body just recover a little more than usual. And probably makes you enjoy your next suffer-session a whole lot more!